You Asked: For a resident on Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP), is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required to be placed immediately outside the resident’s room in the hallway?
We Answered: No. PPE must be readily available, but CMS does not require that it be placed immediately outside the resident’s room. The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Provider Resources and Education Program (PREP) training provides examples of PPE placement and emphasizes that PPE should be readily available for staff. The training also notes that PPE taken into a resident’s room is considered contaminated and should not be returned to clean house stock.
During a CMS stakeholder call, Christine Teagues with the CMS Division of Nursing Homes directed providers to CMS guidance addressing PPE placement. That guidance is now incorporated into the State Operations Manual, Appendix PP, under F880 – §483.80 Infection Control, which states: Discretion may be used in the placement of supplies which may include placement near or outside the resident’s room. PPE for enhanced barrier precautions is only necessary when performing high-contact care activities and may not need to be donned prior to entering the resident’s room.